Home Invasions

About Home Invasions

Being a victim of a home invasion can be one of the worst experiences of in your life. It will likely leave you rattled, questioning your priorities and the safety of yourself and your family. Many victims often have trust issues, relationship problems, and often seek counseling after a break in. While it is easy to learn lessons after an incident, this is the one area where prevention does not really take that much time, money, or know how. Fortifying your home, being able to protect yourself and your loved ones, and keeping intruders at bay should be a part of your prepping plan.

Severity of a Home Invasion

Home Invasions have a wide range of severity. A break in could occur with the burglar not even taking anything, or someone could break in and commit a murder or rape. Obviously, most intrusions fall somewhere in the middle of these two extremes, but the potential for violence at the hands of an intruder puts home invasions in a high risk category.

Can it cause TEOTWAWKI?

It depends on your definition ofTEOTWAWKI (The End of the World as We Know It).A single home invasion may rattle a home owner, and can even be fatal- but it will likely not change society. Events that trigger TEOTWAWKI or SHTF will certainly increase the risk of home invasions, however. Looters and other looking for food or stores may try to enter your house during catastrophic events. It is always best to be prepared for the worst.

Determine Your Home InvasionRisk

We tallied up a TrueRisk score of 9 for home invasions. A 9 on our scale is the highest risk we can measure, so it is very important to be prepping for a break-in. It is even more important to focus on preventing and deterring a break in. Your specific risk can vary widely on the scale, based on geography, your habits, and your actions. You can determine your own risk by examining the people you associate with, and crime history in your area. If you hang out with people with a poor moral compass, you are more likely to have a break in. The majority of home invasions are done by people that know the victim and have some sort of inside information as to whether they are home or not. This information is coming more and more often from social media, such as Facebook and Twitter. You can also check your local crime map by getting in touch with your local police department to examine what crimes have recently occurred in your area.

Prepping for Home Invasions

Prepping for home invasions comes down to plans, kits, and practice. Make a plan, organize a kit, and practice both.

Suggested Kits

Having the right resources at the right time is important when it comes to disasters and emergencies. Various kits can prepare you for the worst by letting you have the most resources at the ready. Our suggested kits for dealing with Home Invasions include:

Suggested Plans

Planning for a home invasion is relatively simple. Many templates work just fine for any home invasion scenario. Check out these plans to be sure you are ready for an emergency:

Basic Emergency Plan

Bug Out Plan

You can also plan by preparing your home with basic home defense. Here are a few tips that can help prior to an invasion:

Plant thorny shrubs around windows.

Get a dog- they are one of the best deterrents for intruders. Even decoys such as empty dog bowls, dog bones, and "Beware of Dog" signs can help.

Fortify your entryways with kick plates and door stops.

Install an alarm system. Popular brands of alarm stickers and placards work well as a deterrent.

Designate a safe room, have a word you can shout to direct people to it in your house like “safety room” or “hunker down.”

Consider keeping a weapon in your safe room, preferably a firearm you are thoroughly trained on in a safe.

Practice your plan for what you have decided to do during a home invasion with your family at least annually.

Do not broadcast your habits and vacations on social media.

During a Home Invasion

What you do during a home invasion can be the difference between life and death- regardless of how prepared you are.Keep your cool and try to figure out how many intruders there are and what they could be looking for. Be aware that it may not be just a burglar. Avoid confrontation and maintain quiet if possible until you have a good understanding of the situation. Use good situational awareness to regain control of what is happening. Many invaders can be scared by loud directions to leave, the sound of a pump shotgun, or a shout that you are calling the police and/or have a weapon. If the intruder leaves, call 911 if available and report the break in. If they do not leave, you may not have an intruder that is not at a point where they are listening to reason. They could be under the influence of drugs, extremely emotional, or afflicted with stupidity. You will need to make a decision on what is best at this critical junction, preferably while calling the police if you are able. Defend yourself and your family with weapons if needed, or escape your home if you believe yourself to be disadvantaged.

After a Home Invasion

Immediately after the home invasion, call the police, if they are available. Even if you managed to keep them from entering your home, you should call the police to notify them. Offer as much assistance as possible to catch the criminal if needed. Criminals often string together crimes to reduce overall exposure, and you may be able to help prevent a home invasion. Reassure and comfort your loved ones as the experience was likely traumatic for them. Write down everything you noticed about the intruders. Take pictures of your home and any damage to it or damage to your possessions. Temporarily repair any damage to entryways. File a police report and insurance claim if needed. Reflect on the lessons learned, and make plans to shore up any weak points to prevent a future break in. Two weeks after the break-in, follow up with the police and your insurance claim. Complete all plans you have developed to bolster all weak points in your home protection plan. For the long term, make sure you stay aware of local criminal activity. Continue to evaluate your weak points and practice your plans.

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